The technology, created by Antares Audio Technologies, has been around since the late 1980s but has improved markedly over time. Steve Crosby, who created Steps and has written three No.1 Records, said: "It's no secret that in a studio environment, vocalists come in who can't do the job properly and then Auto-Tune does it for them. Some certainly need it more than others.

"Many artists use it in a live environment which is helpful if you are a dance act with a lot of movement involved."

Crosby, working with producer Mike Stock on theatre show Go!Go!Go!, said it helps you hit the right notes almost without even trying.

He added: "You set the tuner to the right frequency for the particular notes that you need. It knows, for example, whether it's an A, B or C sharp. If you're off, it realigns your voice to the right frequency.

"If you're a little bit out of tune, you don't notice it, but if you are a lot out of it, you do notice which is what you have with X Factor."

He added: "It does seem a little out of place in X Factor as it's a competition and we should be hearing everyone whether they're good, bad or ugly.

"If it is genuinely a singing competition, Auto-Tune shouldn't have any place."